On the Moon, gravity is sixteen percent as strong as it is on Earth and more than sixteen thousand times stronger than it is on Bennu. As a result, loose material in the lunar subsurface is packed together more tightly, making the Moon’s surface relatively firm. If a fifty-kilogram mass of solid iron were to hit the Moon traveling at ten centimeters per second, it would sink into the ground by only half a centimeter.
Repeating this experiment at Bennu would yield a dramatically different result. Though the mass would strike the asteroid’s surface with the same force, it would plunge seventeen centimeters before stopping – over thirty times deeper than at the Moon.
Learn more about the surface properties of asteroid Bennu.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 314326, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20362/#media_group_314326", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "cil", "funding_sources": [ "PAO" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Alex Bodnar", "employer": null } ] }, { "role": "Visualizer", "people": [ { "name": "Kel Elkins", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Dan Gallagher", "employer": "KBR Wyle Services, LLC" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Ron Ballouz", "employer": "The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory" } ] }, { "role": "Support", "people": [ { "name": "Ernie Wright", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Technical support", "people": [ { "name": "Aaron E. Lepsch", "employer": "ADNET Systems, Inc." } ] } ], "missions": [ "OSIRIS-REX" ], "series": [], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Earth", "Planets & Moons" ], "keywords": [ "Animation", "Asteroid", "Bennu", "Conceptual Image Lab", "Gravity", "Lunar Surface", "Moon", "OSIRIS-REx" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 20360, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20360/", "page_type": "Animation", "title": "Thirty Seconds on Asteroid Bennu: Animation", "description": "Data-driven animation showing how the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft impacted asteroid Bennu's surface when it touched down and collected a sample. || 20360_Orex_tag_h264_1080.00111_print.jpg (576x1024) [160.5 KB] || 20360_Orex_tag_h264_1080.00111_searchweb.png (320x180) [97.3 KB] || 20360_Orex_tag_h264_1080.00111_thm.png (80x40) [6.1 KB] || 20360_Orex_tag_h264_1080.webm (1920x1080) [13.2 MB] || 20360_Orex_tag_h264_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [175.4 MB] || 20360_Orex_tag_h264_4K.mp4 (3840x2160) [86.5 MB] || OREx_Tag_PNG (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || 20360_Orex_Prores_4k.mov (3840x2160) [4.4 GB] || ", "release_date": "2022-07-07T14:30:00-04:00", "update_date": "2025-01-09T15:54:14.509465-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 372818, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a020000/a020300/a020360/20360_Orex_tag_h264_1080.00111_print.jpg", "filename": "20360_Orex_tag_h264_1080.00111_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Data-driven animation showing how the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft impacted asteroid Bennu's surface when it touched down and collected a sample.", "width": 576, "height": 1024, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 5010, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5010/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Bennu TAG Surface Change", "description": "This visualization begins with a top-down view of a high resolution digital terrain model (DTM) of the Nightingale TAG sample site on Bennu. As the camera moves closer, data representing the surface height change pre-post TAG fades on. The surface height change as a result of the TAG event is represented by both a color map and by offsetting the original DTM to reveal the TAG crater. The DTM offset is applied to the surface region within ~7.5 meters of impact, which is highlighted for emphasis. With this color bar, yellows, greens, and blues represent a decrease in elevation, light red represents no change in elevation, and dark red represents an increase in elevation. Thruster marks and a region of ejected surface material are labeled. The camera does a 360 degree spin around the sample site before returning to a top-down view of the color-mapped data. || Bennu_TAG_surface_change.00600_print.jpg (1024x576) [233.4 KB] || Bennu_TAG_surface_change.00600_searchweb.png (320x180) [121.7 KB] || Bennu_TAG_surface_change.00600_thm.png (80x40) [8.2 KB] || Bennu_TAG_surface_change_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [76.5 MB] || Bennu_TAG_surface_change (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || Bennu_TAG_surface_change_print_still.00600.tif (3840x2160) [63.3 MB] || Bennu_TAG_surface_change_2160p30.webm (3840x2160) [31.0 MB] || Bennu_TAG_surface_change_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [251.3 MB] || Bennu_TAG_surface_change_prores_2160p30.mov (3840x2160) [8.2 GB] || osiris-rex_animations.hwshow || ", "release_date": "2022-07-07T14:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2025-02-18T00:12:01.948598-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 370826, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005000/a005010/Bennu_TAG_surface_change.00600_print.jpg", "filename": "Bennu_TAG_surface_change.00600_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This visualization begins with a top-down view of a high resolution digital terrain model (DTM) of the Nightingale TAG sample site on Bennu. As the camera moves closer, data representing the surface height change pre-post TAG fades on. The surface height change as a result of the TAG event is represented by both a color map and by offsetting the original DTM to reveal the TAG crater. The DTM offset is applied to the surface region within ~7.5 meters of impact, which is highlighted for emphasis. With this color bar, yellows, greens, and blues represent a decrease in elevation, light red represents no change in elevation, and dark red represents an increase in elevation. Thruster marks and a region of ejected surface material are labeled. The camera does a 360 degree spin around the sample site before returning to a top-down view of the color-mapped data. ", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [ { "id": 14179, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14179/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Asteroid Bennu’s Surprising Surface Revealed by OSIRIS-REx", "description": "When OSIRIS-REx touched down on asteroid Bennu, it encountered a surface of loose rocks and pebbles just barely held together by gravity.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Subsurface” by Ben Niblett and Jon CottonWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || TAG_Science_Preview_4_print.jpg (1024x576) [182.1 KB] || TAG_Science_Preview_4.png (3840x2160) [10.5 MB] || TAG_Science_Preview_4.jpg (3840x2160) [902.0 KB] || TAG_Science_Preview_4_searchweb.png (180x320) [109.2 KB] || TAG_Science_Preview_4_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || 14179_TAG_Science_SHORT_Twitter.mp4 (1280x720) [22.5 MB] || 14179_TAG_Science_SHORT_Twitter.webm (1280x720) [10.5 MB] || 14179_TAG_Science_SHORT_Facebook.mp4 (1920x1080) [127.7 MB] || 14179_TAG_Science_SHORT_Captions.en_US.srt [2.0 KB] || 14179_TAG_Science_SHORT_Captions.en_US.vtt [1.9 KB] || 14179_TAG_Science_SHORT_MASTER.mov (3840x2160) [5.0 GB] || ", "release_date": "2022-07-07T14:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T11:44:06.226396-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 370464, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014179/TAG_Science_Preview_4_print.jpg", "filename": "TAG_Science_Preview_4_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "When OSIRIS-REx touched down on asteroid Bennu, it encountered a surface of loose rocks and pebbles just barely held together by gravity.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Subsurface” by Ben Niblett and Jon CottonWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } } ], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }